Great Lakes Barrens - Cheboygan SP

Great Lakes barrens is a coniferous savanna community of scattered and clumped trees, and an often dense, low or creeping shrub layer. The community occurs along the shores of the Great Lakes where it is often associated with interdunal wetland and open dune. Great Lakes barrens occur on sandy former lake embayments along Great Lakes shorelines. They may occur in dune fields and in depressions between dune ridges within open dunes and may grade to interdunal wetlands where depressions are in contact with underlying groundwater. The surrounding landscape is typically forested, with the dune sands supporting a variety of forest types depending on slope, aspect, and geographic location. - Michigan Natural Features Inventory.